The Cell Door Slammed Behind Rubishov.

There Is Only One Prospect Worse Than Being Chained To An Intolerable Existence: The Nightmare Of A Botched Attempt To End It.

Every Creative Act – In Science, Art, Or Religion – Involves A Regression To A More Primitive Level, A New Innocence Of Perception Liberated From The Cataract Of Accepted Beliefs.

The Inner Censor Of The Mind Of The True Believer Completes The Work Of The Public Censor; His Self-discipline Is As Tyrannical As The Obedience Imposed By The Regime; He Terrorizes His Own Conscience Into Submission;he Carries His Private Iron Curtain Inside His Skull, To Protect His Illusions Against The Intrusion Of Reality.

The Evolution Of The Brain Not Only Overshot The Needs Of Prehistoric Man, It Is The Only Example Of Evolution Providing A Species With An Organ Which It Does Not Know How To Use.

The Continuous Disasters Of Man's History Are Mainly Due To His Excessive Capacity And Urge To Become Identified With A Tribe, Nation, Church Or Cause, And To Espouse Its Credo Uncritically And Enthusiastically, Even If Its Tenets Are Contrary To Reason, Devoid Of Self-interest And Detrimental To The Claims Of Self-preservation.we Are Thus Driven To The Unfashionable Conclusion That The Trouble With Our Species Is Not An Excess Of Aggression, But An Excess Capacity For Fanatical Devotion.